Application of project management techniques to a software for telecommunication complex project

Managing complex project that involves software design, implementation and testing is a very difficult task that becomes even worse when developing the first project of a given kind. The telecommunications industry affords this problem with the third generation mobile networks (UMTS). Although project planning is periodically revised (once a month), differences in tasks'durations and experienced delays cannot be used to improve prediction of project's duration. This paper presente the application of project management techniques (Critical Path, Critical Chain and Statistical Simulation) to the UMTS project, highlighting problems and difficulties. In order to predict a reliable ending date for the project an original approach will be presented.